It Begins with a Single Step: My Philadelphia Adventure
Originally Published: Oct 19, 2014
"An adventure always starts with an unknown path." - my Dad
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
"A thousand miles begins with a single step." - Someone Smart
And my week started with just that, a single step, followed by about 500 or maybe even more. I joined a running group, called November Project, where we meet to encourage community while we exercise at 6:25 in the morning. I am accompanied by lots of crazy people who also love to wake up early and run stairs. Lots, and lots of stairs. But an adventure it sure is, every time.
After running, watching the sunrise, and realizing how blessed I am to be able to wake up every morning, get a good workout in, and eat breakfast, I took some photos of my week. A week just as plain and simple as any one else's, but one filled with adventure. My adventure.
Day 1: The City Awaits
It sure does. Take me to the end of the world. Let me see the oceans, the mountains, the flowers. Let me visit the man made structures, the buildings, the history, the people who changed the world. Let us take adventures to know where we truly belong.
Day 2: Find Peace
In the daily bustle and fever of the city, there is peace. This translates to daily life. Where there is chaos, there is silence, a safe haven, and a home. My peace is this fountain. It is the heart, always flowing, always dreaming, always hoping.
Day 3: Small Comforts Make All the Difference
New coffee shops, new goals, new study techniques = new adventures. No matter the adventure, the small comforts are always what make an unknown place a home. A fresh brewed cup of coffee and an old friend made my adventure today.
Day 4: Use ALL Your Senses
Walk this world with purpose. Think that everything is alive. Notice patterns, make connections. Notice the ground beneath your feet and the sky above your head. There is so much detail in everything, take a look. Everything, everyone is interesting. LOOK closer.
Day 5: Star Gaze
My night included sitting on a rooftop at 2 AM and discussing life with my friends. The stars would never shine without a little darkness.
Day 6: Extend Your Horizons
A running trail, a walk to work, a place of comfort, the end of the horizon is in sight. Extend what you have the ability to see, think further than you can imagine, and see the world even if it just in your backyard.
Day 7: Find Your Good Carma
Mine is writing, exploring, and grounding myself with people and places that inspire me, challenge me, and make me better.
I'm here.
At the end of the day, a good adventure is not the miles traveled, or the places visited, it is the memories created, the moments captured, with the people who let you be you. If you wait until you are ready, you will be waiting for the rest of your life. Dive in, take a risk, make a change, your adventure is calling your name. One step, one fork, many paths. Choose yours, you will never regret it. I can't wait to see where your adventure takes you.
Mine brought me here.
-Happiness in Handfulls